Guess who’s back! I am kicking off December with a new tea review of Wild Violet, a sweet and floral herbal blend. Nectar & Leaf sent me this tea to review a while back, primarily for Instagram, but here comes the full blog review too.
After a bout of COVID in August, my sense of smell has slowly returned in drips and drabs. Garlic was the first scent to reach my nose, followed by other rich and tangy scents. Now, I’m almost back to normal and ready to review teas again.
So, let’s dig in!
Nectar & Leaf Wild Violet at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Mixed flowers with blueberries and cardamom
- Flavour: Elderberry and hibiscus fruitiness with subtle sweetness and soft floral notes
A smooth and delicate tea with fruity notes from elderberries and hibiscus. It has a subtle sweetness and good balance of floral notes, creating a complex and soothing cuppa for late evenings.
Full Review – Wild Violet Floral Herbal Tea
- Type: Loose leaf
- Ingredients: Elderberries, cardamom, hibiscus, lemon myrtle, mallow flowers, rose petals, freeze-dried blueberries, lavender
- Features: Caffeine-free, no flavouring, natural ingredients
- Flavour Notes: Elderberries, hibiscus, tart, fruity, subtly sweet, lemon myrtle herbaceous notes, floral fragrant
- Aroma: Mallow, hibiscus, sweet, slightly bitter, floral fragrance
- Milk or Lemon: Lemon and/or honey if desired
- Where to Buy: Nectar & Leaf or Amazon UK
The aroma of the dried tea leaf (which is absolutely beautiful, by the way), is a mix of mallow flowers and hibiscus. It’s slightly sweet, slightly fruity, and has a tart bitter edge. The floral tones are subtle, with just a light waft of rose. It’s a nice perfume of evening scents, and quite relaxing too.
Once brewed into a gorgeous magenta shade, the aroma deepens with notes of lemon myrtle leaf adding a slight herbal note atop the rich and velvety hibiscus scent. While the hibiscus is taking centre stage, it’s not overpowering – you can still detect numerous other aromas adding complexity to this floral tisane.
As for the flavour, yum! It’s smooth and relaxing from the very first sip, with hints of hibiscus and elderberries creating the body, with floral tones lifting it here and there. It’s subtly sweet, rather than in-your-face-saccharine. Utterly drinkable with no thought given.
I am in love with this tea.
How to Brew Violet Tea
This is an herbal floral tea, so brew it with boiling water and let it steep for as long as you like. Nectar & Leaf recommend brewing their Wild Violet tea for 3 minutes in hot water, and I found this to be just right for me. If your tea is too weak at 3 minutes, don’t hesitate to let it brew for longer – unlike traditional caffeinated tea, it’s hard to over-brew.
Did you know that violet flowers are edible? This tea doesn’t actually contain any violet flowers or violet leaves, but it does go heavy on the hibiscus so you’ll get a nice rounded fruity flavour. I find that hibiscus tea goes nicely with sweet foods, to balance the tartness. Shortbread is nice, or creamy foods like a crème brulée or even some natural yoghurt with berries.
As this is a caffeine-free blend of ingredients, you can drink Wild Violet tea at any time of day or night without disrupting your sleep schedule.
Why Nectar & Leaf?
Nectar & Leaf are all about botanical tea blends that harness the power of nature. Their tea blends utilise only natural ingredients, no flavouring or sweeteners, and are inspired by nature itself. Although they’re certainly not supplement-type teas (see vitamin D tea), they do aim to help your holistic wellbeing.
Wild Violet is made from natural ingredients, and you can see the whole flower petals and blooms in my photos of the loose leaf tea. I really felt like this tea appealed to all the senses – smell, taste and appearance. Though perhaps not touch or sound!
It certainly feels soothing to drink and the addition of lavender makes it a good tea to drink before bedtime. The scent of lavender is said to have sedative-like properties, and it’s often used in aromatherapy too.
Summary
Ultimately, this is a delicious and mellow herbal tea that perfectly blends fruitiness and floral notes. It is wonderful as a sleepy tea or consumed throughout the day to soothe and relax you. You can find Wild Violet on the official Nectar & Leaf website or purchase their tea on Amazon UK – link provided below.
Tea Recommendation
If you’re looking for a floral and sweet sleep tea that comes in teabag format rather than loose leaf, then Clipper Snore and Peace is an excellent alternative to Nectar & Leaf Wild Violet. It’s a mix of chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm with natural flavouring to help you settle for bedtime. Read the full review and more here at Immortal Wordsmith.